APR FC head coach Thierry Froger has expressed his frustration over his team’s congested fixture schedule.
The Frenchman voiced his concerns on Sunday, January 21, following his team's 1-0 victory against Police FC in a Primus National League encounter held at Kigali Pele Stadium.
From January 1-9, APR played five games in the Mapinduzi Cup held in Zanzibar from which they were knocked out of the semifinals after a controversial 4-2 defeat to Zanzibar side Mlandege on penalties after both sides played out a goalless draw in regular time.
Returning to Kigali, the Rwandan champions played against AS Kigali in the first leg of the Peace Cup round of 16 on January 17 before visiting Police FC in the Primus National League on Sunday, January 21.
The military side returns to action on Wednesday when they welcome AS Kigali in the second leg of the Peace Cup at Kigali Pele Stadium.
The team will be missing the services of its key players like star striker Victor Mbaoma, defender Banga Bindjeme and forward Apam Bemol who are all out through injuries, a crisis which is, according to Froger, connected to fixture congestion that his players struggled to adapt to.
Froger said that some players have struggled to cope with the demanding schedule.
"Playing on Sunday is not the issue. In Zanzibar, we played five games in seven days. When we returned to Kigali, we realized that we had a game every three days.
We have another one (Vs AS Kigali). It&039;s tough on the players, and it lacks consideration for their well-being," he told journalists in an interview.
It is not the first time the coach complained about the fixture backlog.
When APR were on the CAF Champions League duty, he requested match postponements just like it is done elsewhere..."like in Tanzania, teams are given at least 15 days before returning to league action, while we only had three.”
"I've been informed that the situation will be addressed next year,” he said.
"Does that seem fair? The management is doing their best, and we are learning to handle these situations, but these frequent games will take a toll on us."